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Examines what Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's illness means for Japan's ten-year economic struggle, its bureaucratic politics, and its chronic inability to reform itself. Roots of Japan's staggeringly high budget deficit; Lack of any real political check against bureaucracy; Slow progress of reform in the banking industry; Implications for the October 19, 2000 elections.

Reports on the tie-in between GE Capital Corp. and edocs Inc. to enable consumers to receive and pay credit-card bills online.

Presents news concerning international stock performances as of September 28, 1994. Decline of stock prices in Japan; Rise in London, England shares; Plantations stocks as the top gainers in the Dow Jones World Stock Index.

Reports that Japanese Minister of International Trade and Industry Ryutaro Hashimoto will meet with United States counterparts to reach a trade agreement between the two countries. US government's threats of trade sanctions against Japan if the two countries fail to reach a trade agreement by the set deadline; Negative impact of failure to reach a trade accord on the financial markets of the two countries.

The article focuses on Nissan Motor Co., whose headquarters is in Tokyo, and Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn. Nissan is slowing production of its automobiles to offset a drop in sales worldwide. Brief data for production and sales includes the markets in the United States, Canada, and Japan. Mr. Ghosn's management technique is mentioned. Harvard Business School Professor Michael Yoshino comments on Nissan's transition to a business model that is more focused on endurance.

This article discusses the use of patriotism in automobile marketing in the U.S. American-based automobile companies, such as Ford Motor Co., have attempted to boost sluggish sales by connecting their products to growth in the U.S. economy. However, foreign-based automobile companies, such as Toyota Motor Co., have made considerable economic contributions to the U.S. including the construction of dealerships, automobile plants, and research centers. INSET: Home and Away.

The article reports that Japan's biggest automobile makers, Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co., are hiring and training more Americans to construct factories, develop and design cars, market, and make decisions in general. A graph depicting the number of new vehicles sold by Toyota, Nissan, and Honda is presented. Differences in American taste, driving conditions, and government specifications are given as reasons for this trend.

The article reports that the South Korean automobile maker Hyundai is the subject of a probe by that country's government that is putting a damper on plans to expand further into the global auto industry. Prosecutors hope to determine if the Hyundai executives used funds illegally. The investigation focuses on a possible slush fund set up to help Hyundai and to advance the career of Chung Mong Koo, the youngest member of the family that owns the auto-maker.

The article reports that Asian auto stocks are overvalued, at the expense of American and European auto makers. Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and Nissan make up 43% of the world's passenger car market, but their combined value makes up 73% of the worth of all car makers. These numbers mean that American and European stocks are getting squeezed out by eager investors.

The article suggests that Japan and Europe may soon be playing crucial supporting roles in the global economy. Companies and consumers in the euro countries and Japan have started spending again for the first time in years. The trend has caught many economists by surprise. This shift has prompted moves by central bankers in both places to increase interest rates to curb inflation. The re-emergence of spending in those nations, however, has implications far beyond financial markets. Strong growth abroad would be welcome news for the U.S.

This article discusses the potential risks of Japan's rising interest rates. Higher rates will cause the yen to strengthen against the U.S. dollar, and will increase export prices. This could mean potential earnings losses for Japanese companies. Interest rates in Japan have remained near zero for almost 5 years, encouraging overseas spending among Japanese investors. Japan has been accused of manipulating the yen to support earnings among Japanese manufacturers, but officials say this claim is unfounded. INSET: Yesterday's Market Activity.

This article reports on the financial turmoil at General Motors Corp. (GM), and how it is impacting Suzuki Motor Corp. GM holds a 21% stake in Suzuki, which makes affordable cars for lucrative emerging markets such as India and Eastern Europe. Suzuki has performed well for its shareholders, increasing profit and revenue, and doubling its stock price since 2001.

The article reports on the current financial situation at General Motors Corp. Shares fell to a 23-year low and rival Toyota Motor Corp. may surpass GM as the world's largest auto maker. If Toyota meets its goal of boosting production by 10 percent it will usurp GM's 70-year reign as the world's largest producer by volume. GM has been challenged by high costs and low sales and over the past year its losses have totaled $3.8 billion while its stock fell 50%. GM is impacted by its legacy of rich labor deals, top-heavy bureaucracy and excess production capacity.

The article reports on a group of new products from Toyota Motor Corp. that tap the market for elderly Japanese and the families who care for them. Products designed for the aging are being made by engineers using automobile technologies, including turning shock absorber systems into hydraulic home use elevators. Orthopedic mattresses and special exercise mats are being made by Toyota's suppliers of rubber and plastics. Moreover, Toyota is offering 37 different Welcabs, converted automobiles with options such as swivel seats and wheelchair ramps. The company is attempting to meet the challenge of how to grow sales as the population begins to age rapidly. The growing elderly market has great potential.

This article reports that Toyota Motor Corp. could outperform General Motors as the world's biggest automobile maker in 2006. It is speculated that Toyota could set the ambitious goal of producing as many as 9.2 million cars. The company has yet to decide on a final production plan. The automobile industry is migrating away from the unionized United States operations toward lower-cost, mostly nonunion factories run by Asian and European manufacturers. General Motors and Toyota are compared. Toyota may encounter risks in attempting such rapid growth.

This article reports on reasons why investors may start looking at Japanese auto makers who have operations within the United States such as Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. as the companies that will meet the strong demand among American consumers. These companies earn between 60 to 70% of their operating profit in the U.S.

The article discusses whether the funds spent by tire makers Michelin SCA and Bridgestone Corp. on the development of the tires used in Formula One racing have an impact on sales and profits. Michelin spends about $70 million a year on Formula One racing tires, and Bridgestone spends more than $100 million. While equipping Formula One racers raises brand awareness, it is unclear whether this directly boosts sales. In fact, blowouts of tires in Formula One races have had a negative impact on the brand name products.

Reports that a battle for power and influence is under way in the automobile industry, as basic technology under the hoods of mass market cars goes up for grabs for the first time in nearly a century. Review of how soaring gasoline prices have car makers rushing to use hybrid engines; Suggestion that the race to implement hybrid engines could redraw the industry's hierarchy and system of alliance for years to come; Author's view that Toyota Motor Corp. is far out front; Comments on the issue from General Motors Corp. Vice Chairman Robert Lutz.

Offers a look at automobile suppliers company Delphi Corporation's success with its Asian divisions. Discussion of labor costs at Delphi; Report that Delphi's Asian division is profitable even though the United States operations are in bankruptcy; Comments made by Choon T. Chon, Delphi's vice president in charge of Asian Pacific operations; Sales of automobile components in Asia.

Discusses Ford Motor Co.'s plan for producing gas-electric hybrid vehicles. Indication that the U.S. automaker will put hybrid systems in half of its car models, according to Chairman William Clay Ford Jr.; Concern about Japan's advantage with products in the alternative-power technologies; Competition from Toyota Motor Corp. with its Prius compact car; Other Toyota models that will have hybrid systems.

Focuses on the stocks for Toyota Motor Corp.. Decrease in first quarter profits; How skeptics are more optimistic about Toyota; Assertion that stocks for the company are seen as a bargain; Increase in prices for several Toyota automobiles; Speculation that Toyota is focusing more on its business and will become profitable again.

Reports on Toyota Motor Corps. introduction of the top-selling Lexus luxury car in Japan. Review of Japan's car market is stagnating and its population is rapidly aging; Goal of Toyota to replicate the success it had with Lexus in the United States, where it became an American status symbol; Discussion of how wealthy consumers in Japan prefer German engineering; Comments on the introduction of the Lexus from Takeshi Yoshida, managing officer of product development.

Discusses the efforts of Honda Motor Co. to develop and market fuel-efficient automobiles in the U.S. Details of Honda's plan to release a U.S. version of the Honda Fit, a tiny car that is a top seller in Japan; Consideration of Honda's redesign of the hybrid Honda Civic; Analysis of the hybrid and compact car market in the U.S. as of July 2005.

Reports that Toyota Motor Corp. will expand its product line of hybrid vehicles, which combine gasoline engines with electric motors to boost power and improve fuel efficiency. Comments from Katsuaki Watanabe, Toyota's president, regarding the company's embrace of the technology used to launch hybrid luxury sedans and sport-utility vehicles for the mass market; Cost problems of United States' automobile manufacturers, suggesting Toyota is in a good position to attract sales with its environmental strategy; Reasons why American auto makers initially eschewed the hybrid technology; View that Toyota's strategy will test its ability to lead the automobile industry.

Discusses how Toyota Motor Corp. is banking on a new version of its Hilux pickup truck to help the company overtake General Motors Corp. as the world's top car maker. Description of the Hilux, a versatile, inexpensive and highly reliable vehicle; Consideration of Toyota's new manufacturing strategy, which eliminates high-cost plants in Japan as a source for critical components; Analysis of the strategy.

Reflects on why the U.S. government is not responding to the financial hardships faced by General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. Consideration of the shift in political attitudes toward the U.S. automobile industry, caused largely by the presence of job-creating auto-assembly plants in the U.S. that are owned by foreign companies; How politicians, when contemplating government aid, are reluctant to favor one company or industry over another; Analysis of the U.S. automobile industry.

Focuses on Nissan Motor Co.'s CEO Carlos Ghosn and his return to France to become president and chief executive officer of Renault. Reports that Ghosn will be the first individual in automobile industry history to run two automakers at the same time; Concerns on the part of French automobile industry unions that Ghosn will replicate the cutbacks he instituted in Japan at Nissan; Author's view that Ghosn should not upset unions in France; Concern among French employees of Renault regarding Ghosn's management style.

Reports that automobile makers will begin exporting cars made in China to America and Europe for the first time. Challenges faced by the automotive industry in China due to falling domestic demand; Speculation on the impact of Chinese car imports on the U.S. automotive industry; Analysis of China's role in the global automobile industry.

Asks if Toyota Moror Corp is sacrificing profit for market share in its bid to unseat General Motors Corp. and the world's top automaker. Comments from Toyota Chairman Hiroshi Okuda on the stock performance of the company which has been stalled; Concerns that the company's expansion plans may leave the company too thin; Pressure on Toyota in the American market; Reaction of the stock market; Belief of many that the automaker will meet its goal of 15% of the global market during the next decade; Shareholders who are balking at the price of getting there.

Focuses on the efforts of the banking industry to attract business normally conducted by Wall Street firms. How banks are using loans to lure corporations into giving the bank stock-and-bong underwriting or merger advisory business; Percentage of stock-related underwriting for Citigroup Inc., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. in 2003, indicating a growth of market share since 2000, according to market-research firm Thomson Financial; Decrease in stock-related underwriting among some big securities firms; Reaction from the securities industry to banks encroaching on their territory through the use of low-cost loans.

Reports that First Data Corp. may soon acquire its rival Concord EFS Inc. Value of the proposed merger deal between the two consumer-finance middlemen, which was blocked by the United States Department of Justice because it had antitrust concerns; Anticipation of a meeting between government trustbusters and First Data; Speculation about a deal between the two sides; How a settlement could be influenced by the dynamics of the debit-card business at the center of the antitrust dispute; Percentage of the debit-card market the government claims will belong to First Data if the deal goes through; First Data's claim as to how market share should be measured; Discussion of processing signature transactions and payments processed through personal identification number (PIN) networks.

Focuses on the negotiations of America's largest retailers with Visa USA Inc. and MasterCard International Inc., to strike a new deal which could change the way consumers use their debit cards. Potential impact of a new deal to consumers and what it could mean for them at checkout counters; Financial impact to retailers of consumers signing for their debit card purchases and entering personal identification numbers (PIN); Importance of the debit-card industry in the consumer finance market.

Focuses on the industrial competition between Visa USA Inc. and MasterCard International Inc. in the credit card industry. Efforts of Visa to limit defections of member banks that want to switch to MasterCard; Excerpts from a memo authored by Paul Allen, Visa's general counsel, regarding a shift in their defection policy after concerns raised by the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department; Response of Noah Hanft, MasterCard's general counsel, regarding Visa's enforcement of exit fees to member banks; Comments from a spokeswoman for the Justice Department, attempting to remain neutral in the battle between the two credit card companies; When a judge is expected to rule on the fee dispute that will impact how free financial institutions will be to switch brands under which they issue debit cards to their customers.

Focuses on the financial performance of Visa USA Inc., which posted an operating loss in its most recent fiscal year. Amount of operating loss, which produced a cash shortage requiring Visa to ask for early payment of membership fees from Bank One Corp., Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp.; View of author that there might be tension among member banks because Visa implemented an "exit fee" policy to discourage members from leaving for a rival brand; Amount paid by Visa to several merchants, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., to settle charges that it used monopolistic power to extract excessive fees from merchants accepting Visa debit cards, and its impact on the operating losses.

Assesses the potential of a merger involving J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Expectations for the company's third-quarter earnings report, likely to fuel more talk of merger; Comments from Michael Holton, who manages a financial-services fund at T. Rowe Price Associates Inc., regarding the unlikely event of a merger; Percentage drop in the stock price of J.P. Morgan the last time rumors surfaced about a possible merger with Capital One Financial Corp., suggesting the market does not want to see a merger; Analysis of the previous J.P. Morgan merger.

Reports that J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. agreed to pay $25 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allegations that the bank induced clients to bid up stocks in exchange for allocations of lucrative listings in the future. How J.P. Morgan conducted the scheme to reward clients who made high bids in the aftermarket; Comments of Stephen Cutler, director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement, regarding underwriters attempting to distort the market; Extent of regulators' investigations into Wall Street practices during the boom years of the 1990s, including a probe into allocations of highly sought-after initial public offerings.

Reports that the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York has run into financial difficulties because of $183 million in losses on soured investments in bonds backed by mobile-home loans and has suspended dividend payments. Number of banks, of which this is one, founded during the Depression to fulfill a government mandate to make funding available to the providers of home loans in local communities; View that this will increase concerns over secrecy and the quality of governance at government-sponsored institutions; Potential for governmental oversight of home-loan banks.

Focuses on Visa USA Inc.'s relationship with member banks. Changes in Visa's bylaws that will require member banks that leave to pay settlement related fees; Value of a settlement Visa had to pay its members over the way it handled debit cards; Settlement fee Visa planned to assess TCF Financial Corp., a Visa member bank in Minnesota, if TCF abandoned its Visa membership; Comments from William Cooper of TCF regarding Visa's practice; Details of the Visa letter sent to TCF regarding the share of Visa's debit card settlement payment; Visa's defense of its practice.

Reports that J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. exceeded Wall Street earnings estimates in the second quarter of 2003. Percentage drop in share price, despite the robust financial statement report; Concern expressed over sustaining the momentum of Morgan's earnings pace; Comments from Dina Dublon, the bank's chief financial officer, about the bank's estimated profitability and earnings in the second half of 2003; Impact of lower interest rates on the earnings reports of most financial institutions.

Reports that American Express Co., purveyors of American Express credit cards, may benefit from a U.S. Justice Department action against Visa USA Inc. and MasterCard International Inc. Ruling issued by a federal court in October 2001, which is on appeal, with respect to the credit card companies restrictions on their member banks; Comments from Diane Jaffee, fund manager at TCW Galileo Diversified Value, regarding the appeals process; How American Express plans to take advantage of the ruling, which will open up member banks of Visa and MasterCard to American Express.

Presents a comparison of the trade performance between the energy companies Enron Corp. and Dynegy Inc. in the U.S. Investigation of Dynegy's accounting practices; Evaluation of the capabilities of Chuck Watson, Enron's chairman and chief executive officer; Assessment of Dynegy's earnings.

Describes the performance of David Coulter, vice chairman of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., in bank management in the U.S. Expertise of Coulter in solid retail markets; Details of Coulter's achievements; Interest of Coulter in private-banking and investment management.

Reports that the decreasing interest rates would threaten high-interest lenders in Japan.

The article reports on the statement of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. that it has no plans to involve itself in alliance negotiations among General Motors Corp., Nissan and Renault.

Reports that the Japanese police has accused executives of Toyota Motor Corp. of failing to recall a model they knew was faulty and might cause injuries in an accident.

Focuses on the plans of Toyota Motor Corp. to double the number of hybrid gasoline-electric-powered automobiles by as early as year 2010.

Highlights the move by Japanese manufacturers to focus on high-technology and high-value production in response to competition with Chinese manufacturers.

Reports on the capital investment efforts of Toyota Motor Corp. on its plants and equipment to surpass the market status of General Motors Corp.

Reports that Hyundai Motor Co. Chairman Chung Mong Koo was arrested on charges of embezzlement an breach of trust.

Reports on the warrant of arrest requested by South Korean prosecutors for Hyundai Motor Co. chairman Chung Mong Koo regarding corruption charges in 2006.